Hawaii Revisited

When I'm not busy with my beads, lately I've been spending some time on another passion of mine -- quilting.  Nearly ten years ago when my husband and I visited Kauai, I purchased the pattern and raw materials for a Hawaiian quilt that captured some of the beauty of the flowers of Hawaii.  Until recently I haven't been able to devote the time to working on it; but now it is progressing nicely.  Take a look. 

It still needs more quilting of the flowers and of course the edge binding, but I'm pretty happy with how it is turning out.

I've never really attempted quilting on this scale before, so I'm taking it pretty slow.  I'll be sure to post a pic of it when it's completed.

Fun in Florence

Don't you love to just happen upon a great, unexpected find?

I sure do and such was the case for me a few weeks ago while vacationing around coastal Oregon.  Anywhere and any day near the ocean is a day in heaven for me, but after a great lunch at Mo's Seafood down in old town (gotta love that clam chowder!), an even greater plus was my stop in at Waterlily Studio in Florence, Oregon on Highway 101.

This local bead store shares a building with a dive business, but the vibe in the bead studio is all creativity and friendliness.  The owner greeted me warmly and encouraged me to take my time exploring.

Seems she used to have a 10 x 10 booth elsewhere in town but had recently expanded into a full-size store and is growing her inventory.  Having moved to Florence, Oregon from San Diego, California in search of a slower pace of life and "better weather" (but how much better can you get than San Diego?), she also made the choice based on a family illness.

I can tell you that her store is a welcome addition to the coastal area.  Taking nothing away from Sweet Creek (another fine local bead store in Florence), I enjoyed my time exploring the wide variety of offerings.

I made a small purchase, including some ocean/sea feeling beads and some Lucite flowers.  My purchase was placed in a small fabric bag tied with a ribbon and of course, there's no sales tax in Oregon.  Next trip up to Florence, I'll definitely return to Waterlily again.

Spring Bling

Have you checked out our Jewelry Showcase lately? If not, you're missing out!

In the last few days, I've added lots and lots of new necklaces, bracelets and earrings. There's many different styles and colors to choose from and you are sure to find something for yourself or the important person in your life.

So, go check it out. And be sure to open up the larger view so you can examine the fine details and colors.

Don't forget . . . if you see something you like but prefer a different color, drop me an email and I'll see what I can do to put a little bling in your Spring!

Winter Beauty

Over the Valentine's Day weekend, we got to visit the Northwest coast.

OK, so I'm a beach girl anyway but it's really hard not to love the sheer beauty of the ocean and all its power.

Check out this gorgeous pic of the water and the rocks! It was a little rainy and windy -- and definitely cold . . . brrrrrr . . . but always beautiful.

Hmmmm, maybe I'll go take a look at those ocean jasper beads and see what I can put together to keep the ocean feel going . . .

Happy Chinese New Year!

This year, the Chinese New Year (or Lunar New Year) begins on Monday, January 26, 2009. 2009 is the Year of the Ox

Chinese New Year lasts for 15 days and is filled with joy and happiness along with great hope for luck and good fortune. It traditionally begins on the day of the second New Moon following the Winter Solstice – the shortest day of the year. Red is thought to be the luckiest color and is used liberally to bring prosperity.

According to the apples4theteacher website,”Legend has it that in ancient times, Buddha asked all the animals to meet him on Chinese New Year. Twelve came, and Buddha named a year after each one. He announced that the people born in each animal's year would have some of that animal's personality. Those born in ox years tend to be painters, engineers, and architects. They are stable, fearless, obstinate, hard-working and friendly.”

The other animals are the rat, the tiger, the rabbit, the dragon, the snake, the horse, the sheep/goat, the monkey, the rooster, the dog and the pig. If you’d like to find out what animal your year of birth is associated with, click on this link to http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/chinese-new-year/chinese-zodiac.html and enter your year of birth. Further links on that page will fill you in on the fun stuff about the personality traits of each animal year and famous people who were born in the year of that animal.

Turns out I’m in good company. I was born in the same animal year as Oprah Winfrey, Sara Jessica Parker, Brooke Shields and Abraham Lincoln. What a group!!

So, in honor of Chinese New Year, I’m spotlighting one of my favorite necklaces from my website – Asian Flair. Starting with the stunning focal bead I found at a local bead shop in Dallas, Texas, I added rich and colorful components – it’s perfect for celebrating Chinese New Year in style! To get more detail on this stunning necklace, click on the following link http://www.thecraftybusiness.com/index.php?app=ccp0&ns=prodshow&ref=CP-0104-N-001.

What Can Red Do for You?

What do you think of when you think of red? Love and emotion, right? Maybe power?

Especially at this time of year, we are often reminded that red is the color of love. (Remember, Valentine’s Day is just around the corner!) It’s also the color of strength and leadership (a lot of those power ties on politicians are red, right?). And, it’s the color of prosperity in many Asian cultures.

Have you studied chakras? Red is the color of the Root Chakra at the base of your spine which governs our instinct and survival. It is said that focusing on the color red helps you to ground yourself and bring alignment.

Garnet gemstones are most commonly dark wine red in color and combine well with gold. They are said to be the stone of health and sexual power, to be good luck charms, to ignite passion and to bring love and devotion. They are the January birthstone on the modern, Ayurvedic and Hebrew listings.

Rubies, another red gemstone, are said to bring peace and harmony and are believed to help ward off sickness and negativity. Ruby is the January birthstone according to the Zodiac listing.

So, whether it be to promote love, or health, or prosperity (or maybe all three!), why not add a little red to your life?

The Bead Stork Just Dropped a Bundle!

I'm so excited!! After months and months of hard work, my new baby - Crafty Business -- is finally here! I know, it's a little scary opening up a new business in this economy. But I have got lots of great ideas and a burning desire to really make a go of this.

So, you ask, what can Crafty Business do for me? Well, Crafty Business is all about supplying the person who loves to bead or wants to get started beading with just what they need. Need just six beads of this color and four of that size? No problem, we'll sell and ship by-the-bead just exactly what you need. We carry an awesome array of Swarovski crystals in lots of colors and shapes. Now, you won't need to make a minimum purchase of twelve or twenty crystals when you really only need two. So Swarovski crystals and pearls just got a whole lot more affordable!

Who doesn't feel pampered when they slip on some earrings or a bracelet that sparkles with Swarovski crystals? In these days of really tight budgets, wouldn't you really love to indulge just a little with a gorgeous piece of jewelry that looks like a million bucks when you know you made it for just a few dollars?

So, please explore our website and come back often. In the coming days we'll be adding special packages that are sure to tempt you and your friends (think kits and beading parties!) and we'll have some special arrangements for beading tools.

And don't forget to leave me a comment -- I'd love to hear from you!